(^^,)
Disclaimer: This is a review of an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC).
Which plebian with a death wish is throwing dead rats through my window?
This is such a strangely wholesome book, and I needed this.
I really liked the story! It starts off with wit, a dash of bones, some crudeness but nothing out of place as you read about the characters and why they are where they are. Nothing unfounded, either - it becomes abundantly clear real fast that everyone has skeletons in their closet (or on their headboard, but spoilers).
The writing was pleasing to me: casual use of wit, a light mist of romance, a peppering of humourous yet awkward situations, and an overall level of snarky banter shared among the main cast that fit my taste just right.
It was very easy to feel the settings, feel for the characters as they develop to the reader, their interactions and feelings with each other. As much as the book cover greatly influenced by idea of the main characters, the book did well in describing them enough that I saw them as a mishmash of a cuter Karlach from Baldurs Gate 3 and a less gaunt V from Devil May Cry 5 in the end anyway.
I will say the magic system was interesting - I did find it a little difficult to understand how the necromancy worked in terms of finger movement, but I appreciated the realism and risks that came with that. It's good to utilise the practicalities when having a magic system - even if the equivalents of a system's mana may be seemingly infinite, one's ability to use them may not be.
It's fine for a book to have tropes but I feel the pacing of some major plot points forced the tropes nearer the end. An unexpected but fast use of Chekhov's gun, and a somewhat reverse deus ex machina for example. It caught me by surprise, but I'm not seeing them as bad things necessarily: their places in the story make sense to me and they leave the book with a really nice ending and some closure while leaving the story open for the next adventure.
In a sea of moody male characters with shadow powers and an ocean of female characters with a point to prove, there's more flavours of people than spicy or salty. Sometimes you need something sweet and filling, and this book is it.
Disclaimer: This is a review of an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC).
Which plebian with a death wish is throwing dead rats through my window?
This is such a strangely wholesome book, and I needed this.
I really liked the story! It starts off with wit, a dash of bones, some crudeness but nothing out of place as you read about the characters and why they are where they are. Nothing unfounded, either - it becomes abundantly clear real fast that everyone has skeletons in their closet (or on their headboard, but spoilers).
The writing was pleasing to me: casual use of wit, a light mist of romance, a peppering of humourous yet awkward situations, and an overall level of snarky banter shared among the main cast that fit my taste just right.
It was very easy to feel the settings, feel for the characters as they develop to the reader, their interactions and feelings with each other. As much as the book cover greatly influenced by idea of the main characters, the book did well in describing them enough that I saw them as a mishmash of a cuter Karlach from Baldurs Gate 3 and a less gaunt V from Devil May Cry 5 in the end anyway.
I will say the magic system was interesting - I did find it a little difficult to understand how the necromancy worked in terms of finger movement, but I appreciated the realism and risks that came with that. It's good to utilise the practicalities when having a magic system - even if the equivalents of a system's mana may be seemingly infinite, one's ability to use them may not be.
It's fine for a book to have tropes but I feel the pacing of some major plot points forced the tropes nearer the end. An unexpected but fast use of Chekhov's gun, and a somewhat reverse deus ex machina for example. It caught me by surprise, but I'm not seeing them as bad things necessarily: their places in the story make sense to me and they leave the book with a really nice ending and some closure while leaving the story open for the next adventure.
In a sea of moody male characters with shadow powers and an ocean of female characters with a point to prove, there's more flavours of people than spicy or salty. Sometimes you need something sweet and filling, and this book is it.